The Nats send Stephen Strasburg out to the mound in the second game vs. Atlanta.

The Nationals lost a tough one in extra innings last night due to a collapse by their bullpen. They hope pitching will not be an issue today as ace Stephen Strasburg takes the ball. The Braves will send veteran and longtime Nats nemesis Tim Hudson to the mound.

The Braves' lineup looks a little different today with Evan Gattis starting behind the plate, they have B.J. Upton at the top and Chris Johnson at first. Strasburg was 3-1 against Atlanta last season, but held a 4.10 ERA with 12 ER in 26 1/3 innings pitched. His last outing vs. the Braves was on Aug. 21 when he gave up just one run through six with ten strikeouts.

Could be another great game as these division rivals get to know the 2013 versions of each other.

Weak bullpen, fatally flawed third baseman, bull headed manager whose past is coming back to haunt him –weak hitting second baseman with unfixed hole in his swing — while lombo sitsgrossly immature pseudo closer (storen) who just doesn't have great stuff –What do you expect? Nats win 10 less games this season

Within a month, we'll be reading about infighting and second guessing in the clubhouse and dugout. What does one expect, that Davey can change? Davey is Davey — he always messes up — he will wear out his welcome here just like he has Every other place he's been. He is a pig headed, Emperor's New Clothes kind of a manager. He stinks. Refuses to play small ball for some ego reason; treats his veterans like best friends, but eventually they get loosey goosey — Like now. Davey has such an ego, when he makes up his mind about something, he insists it is Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and Davey. Truly, he is great with an emerging team, but his stubborn, obtuse, pigheaded approach, eventually implodes and/or explodes a team. By August, we'll be talking about "Will Davey finish the season?" Davey sucks.

Poor Stras: He simply is not the same pitcher he was before his surgery. He will be sporadic the rest of his playing career: he'll win some; he'll lose some. But his dominating days were over the day Tommy John came to visit.Davey made the ridiculous statement that "Stras is my horse." Was he really serious? Gio and Zimmermann are horses (if he's let them be), but not Stras — Stras is made of glass. I watch his 'Bird" mechanics and cringe just knowing that one day, he will blow out his arm again or maybe his shoulder. Prediction: Stras will pitch less than 200 innings this season. If he pitches anymore, he will blow out the arm or the shoulder. Don't expect Stras to stay off the DL. Put that in the Book.

Davey does not suck but Davey also will not change a thing ever and that is his Achilles heel. Davey's pig headedness cost them game 5 and will cost them again and again….with enough roles of the dice he will get luck and win a WS……that is what the data shows.

How long can the Nationals stick with a thirdbaseman who can't throw the ball? Now costing games.How long can the Nats stick with a second baseman who cant hit?How long can the Nats survive with this bullpen?What manager in his right mind has Detweiler as his fifth starter — and Haren as his 4th??????This is outrageously stupid and harmful to the team. The fifth starter gets approx. 50 less innings than the #4. Who is their right mind wants Haren for 50 more innings than Det? Davey is a complete and utter idiot. Then again, he always has been. Which is why Davey has been run out of every town he's ever been in. Lets run him out of Washington Too!! For the sake of this club.

Davey survives from the vast support from people who really don't know baseball — although they may think they do. Time to take off the rose-colored glasses and face reality. Haha. This is going to be a drama filled season especially when the "fans" who think they know the game, finally realize that the Emperor Aint wearing No Clothes. I cant wait. Lets Play ball!!!

Wow. I think we need a bit more caffeine to offset the lack of sleep and nightmares. I also think all the usually positive people are headed to the game. This is so strange for me as I think there are some good points buried in the forceful delivery. Here is my question– not accusing, not sure at all, please think it over and give an honest opinion– it seems to me that every time a pitcher or reliever gets lost Suzuki is behind the plate. Is he not in sync with them? Is he setting up in a place that is contributing to the walks? Is there any possibility that my sensing this has any basis? In any case, he does not seem to be able to calm them down or help them get on track. We really don 't have them back there just for their offense. I find myself feeling more secure about the pitching when Ramos is catching.

Another point to ponder. Everyone always says that early in the season pitching is ahead of hitting. That does not seem to be the case this year. Lots of top starters , relievers, closers are having spectacularly bad games. Not just a Nats thing. I think they are good, strong people, who take things seriously and they will work at rebounding. If anything, I think sometimes they are too intent and play a little too tightly wound.

I thought it hilarious to see Storen trashing the dugout. What a baby. What a loser. Lousy mechanics, flat fastball, a lazy slider, not much command. You might think that Storen thinks he's good or something. Meanwhile, there's Henry …. hahjahaha the bullpen is a complete joke — accepting Mattheus and Stammen

Hey Stevie J, a person as NEGATIVE as you are is just a plain hater!Davey isn't perfect. Nobody is. The issues as I see it is more in personnel that were problems last year that were kept this year and once again you have to worry about the health of Ryan Zimmerman.At 7-3, you have to like the start to the season. As I said several times from Tuesday to yesterday is I'm concerned how Davey is managing what is essentially a 5 man bullpen.

baseballswsami: spoken like a true Den Mother to a Cub Scout troop that can't measure up to the boy Scouts. High time to face and talk reality and quit excusing poor performances emanating from poor skill sets. Take off the glasses, put down the Kool Aid and face facts. Rizzo weakened the team over the winter — Davey aint the guy to lead the Nats to the promised land.

Steve- read it again- I specifically said I was not blaming him. More like asking if they are not working well together, how do they communicate, how is he setting up, can he help them stay calm, is he on the right pitch- calling page or are they struggling? It's a question. That relationship is critical and the pitchers seem to be more effective with Ramos. Except Gio. Maybe. Unscientific conjecturing. Kind of like we all do about things. Exploring ideas and theories. Sheesh.

baseballswami, don't bother arguing with this recycled troll under a new name.A hater to the max. I'm sure he could find issues on game 10 with the 1927 Yankees also.Davey is good at building a team and cohesiveness. His philosophies are clear. He's not a small ball guy. He plays his A guys. He has favorites. He is stubborn. Like all Managers, he is 2nd guessed.

How does the 5th starter get 50 less innings than the 4th starter? They get the same number of starts if everyone stays healthy.Seriously, 10 games. Three that they lost, and two of those they really beat themselves. Blowing things up and panicking never seems to work for any team. They have problems, but it's not like they're unsolvable. I have concerns and get frustrated when they lose games they had in hand, but if we treat every game like it's do-or-die it'll be a long, frustrating season because they can't win them all.Swami: it's true that lots of great pitchers are really struggling. David Price is the one I'm most surprised by, he's been unbelievable for the last three years. Extended spring training due to the WBC throwing off some veterans' timing and getting the hitters in general off to a stronger start, maybe?

Well, the answer to my question came on Twitter.Mark Bowman ‏@mlbbowman 7mSimmons is just getting a day off. Fredi is the playing the switch-hitting Pena to get as many LHH as possible in his lineup vs. Strasburg

Steve J, Alexandria said… Ghost of Steve M: haha you'll be quoting me within a month. Put down the violin and face reality. April 13, 2013 11:09 AM I'm well spoken on the weak spots on the team, read what I say before you judge but I try to say it more diplomatically and I won't trash the team. Davey either has to use Henry and Duke or replace them. Can't go with 5 man bullpens and I said that all week.The position players are solid except Espi and somethings wrong with Zimmerman. Can't stand that far to the left in the box and give sufficient plate coverage and his arm is painful to watch.Haren is a question mark and I have been a supporter of Lannan. I don't make the decisions but I think Haren is what he is. An inconsistent 5th starter right now.

Not to back up a negative poster, but he's right about the 5th starter getting less innings. Over the course of the long season, rainouts, short series, etc the rotation gets altered. Its usually the 5th starter that gets skipped over for a start. I don't know about the 50 innings thing, but they always get less innings. That is true

So true — Lannan did well last night I see. The Haren deal was shear lunacy — or stupidity. Dumping Lannan wasn't to smart. And naming Haren the #4 or Detweiler is atrocious for too many ways to mention!!I'm mad that these jerks have messed this team up with endless and stupid tinkering.

Davey may swap Det and Haren when he gets the chance (rainout or off-days). I think he did it deliberately for this series so Det would line up vs. Atlanta and Haren for the Fish.Agree that the way it is looking right now you want Det to get more starts than the usual "5th starter" but if Haren can get back to his historical form he is good for a lot of innings.

Steve J, or should I just say "Chicken Little", your posts are so negative they are laughable. You are so vehemently negative, one can't take your posts seriously even if you have a point or two that makes a little sense. its board for discussions, not depressing rants.

Personally, I'm worried more about Soriano than anyone else. He seems a poor match up to our staff. After seeing 95+ all day, we close with a guy throwing 88-91? That ball must look like a beachball to the other team. I fear Soriano will not do well here. and I do wish Lombo could break into the lineup

But they don't *have* to skip the 5th starter; that only happens for match-up reasons/because they're generally less good and management has less faith in them. If that's not the case with Det, it's less likely to happen.

But for all of you who are really interested in the team and how they play- I still want to know if you think our pitching staff as a whole has been more effective working with Ramos. Offense does not count. I just have a feeling about it but don 't know how to quantify it. They just seem smoother, calmer, more effective with Ramos. Yes, it could bet imagination. And I like Suzuki- no hating behind this.

I think Suzuki does a fine job. But when clippard was imploding last night, I questioned the calling of 3-4 of clips changeups. I couldn't whether Clip, Suzuki or the bench called for them. If it was Suzuki, I would begin to rethink his skills of pitch selection

A couple of notes.As I listened to sunny Phil Wood on the way home last night, I thought I was hearing too much emphasis on Zimm's decision to throw to second. But the issue was not his decision, it was his inability to do so.In the Post today, Zimm said "It wasn't a terrible throw. It just needed to be perfect." I'm sorry but this is nonsense. It was a terrible throw. Any serviceable throw to second–even with Espi arriving late–would have been easily caught by a high school second baseman. But this throw was bad.Zimm also said a throw to first was "out of the question." He's right–when speaking for himself. The vast majority of MLB third basemen would've rifled the ball across the diamond and ended the game. I'm sorry to say this, but I think Zimm said a throw to first was out of the question was simply because he cannot make that throw.Earlier in the game, Zimm drew LaRoche way off first, into the path of the runner then into foul territory, to save Zimm's throw and then, amazingly, get his foot back on first from foul territory to make the out. In the 9th inning, on a routine sac bunt, Zimm drew Espi across the bag and into foul territory to catch Zimm's throw.I've always loved watching pro third basemen and shortstops in warm-ups each inning. Just throwing darts across the diamond. The first baseman rocks his glove back, about chest-high, and bam, bam, bam, these guys hit the target all day long.As has often been noted here, even warm-ups are an adventure for Zimm and especially for LaRoche.I love Ryan Zimmerman. There are better people on this board for describing throwing mechanics than me. I just think he's in trouble when it comes to throwing.

Anybody know of a serviceable LOOGY that's had major league experience? Also somebody mentioned Zimmerman is hurting. Do we know that? Finally, anybody aware of arms that could replace Clippard if he blows up on a consistent basis, and I'm not talking a farm hand unless his name is Trevor Rosenthal.

It's hard to say from this sample size, I think? Suzuki's getting two starts in each of the tougher series, Cincinnati and Atlanta, and Ramos has gotten two in each of the easier ones. If the pitchers are performing better in Ramos's games, it could just generally be that he's gotten more of the easier games thus far.

Steve J, Alexandria said… Zimmerman's glass arm is now costing us games.how long can they let this go on? April 13, 2013 11:43 AM _________________________________"US" you have the cajones to say "us". No way are you a Nats fan.

EmDash said… It's hard to say from this sample size, I think? Suzuki's getting two starts in each of the tougher series, Cincinnati and Atlanta, and Ramos has gotten two in each of the easier ones. If the pitchers are performing better in Ramos's games, it could just generally be that he's gotten more of the easier games thus far. April 13, 2013 11:41 AM ________________________________I'm sure you wouldn't see Ramos shaking his head side-to-side like Suzuki did after the tying run scored.I'm also sure that Ramos wouldn't walk back to the bullpen thinking he struck out before the umpire calls him out.Sickening watching that last night.

Em: so with that answer, Zim is only valuable to an American League team needing a Full time DH — yet we hope to win a world series with this guy?Its not going to happen. and he's signed through to 2020. What a nightmare.

NatsFanSinceStart said… I think Suzuki does a fine job. But when clippard was imploding last night, I questioned the calling of 3-4 of clips changeups. I couldn't whether Clip, Suzuki or the bench called for them. If it was Suzuki, I would begin to rethink his skills of pitch selection_________________________________It reminded me of Game 5. His negativity behind the plate was like he gave up once again.He didn't get out soon enough to talk to Clip and get on the same page but it will be hard to forget him shaking his head on this video.http://atmlb.com/12XGG6I

Thanks for the thoughtful points about the catchers. I know it's early. I think some of us have forgotten that many of those 98 wins last year were not exactly dominating victories. I found myself wondering often last season if there were smoke and mirrors involved. The guys are young and talented. We shall see how they handle themselves. I think the catching situation does bear watching, though. I am going to watch the battery interaction a bit more. I get curious about things and usually have many more questions than answers.

FlaJack: Looks to me like I got a lot of smart conversation going — talking about things that matter — not whether our players are good family men or how cute they are in their beards and new unis.What bothers you is that you aren't capable of in depth 'baseball talk.' You're good at personalities and clothing and stuff like that. I know a lot of female forums looking for strong men like you.

Swami: good thoughts. We should remember that last season we saw the Mets weak, and the Phillies deconstruct — and remember how hot the Braves got? Playing Philly and the Mets 18 times this year may result in fewer wins for us — they're both stronger.

Stevie J-off, NatsJack actually is able to analyze because he knows baseball. It takes actual knowledge to be able to see what truly is going on with this team.You act like they are 3-7 instead of 7-3. Figure out what's wrong with the Yankees for us.

Could be a sun monster day, but I like that Fox couldn't push the Nats into a 4 pm start as they did last year. There will be plenty of Atlanta fans in the park. Someone buy a bobblehead off one of them and I'll pay you back. Don't go about $10. Thanks.

Yes, it does take knowledge. So far, other than the doubt about Suzuki, I have heard nothing intelligent about this team other than "I hope we win today" or I hope he throws a no hitter" or I hope we score 11 runs today." haha this is a forum for new Baseball fans – folks who just started following the game when the Nats started to win — or for girls who think Rah Rah Rah is the smartest thing one could say. Quite a joke

Dude. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're genuine in your comments but just extremely negative, but the "hahaha you're all girls cuz girls dun know baseball" stuff is just gross. Plenty of women with an interest in and knowledge of baseball, and I'm one of them.

I have followed baseball for more years than I care to count and one thing I know for sure is that we don't know anything right now. Last year at this time we thought the Marlins would be the scary team. August first we would not have seen STL or the Giants going deep or the Orioles or A's doing so well. It's part of what makes it both fun and maddening. I actually think our offense looks better this season and we have a healthy Soriano instead of a DL closer. Team is healthier And more experienced. Other teams are better too, though. Buckle up for the ride- ups and downs are part of it. Hoping to see the Nats play well.

Maybe negative, maybe gross, but the girls here are baseball ignorant. and u know it. You didn't even know a 5th starter gets less innings. haha and you even argued it.Proof positive you don't know the game. Oh, you know the rules, I'm sure. You know what's fair, foul, out or safe. I'm sure you know that 3 strikes you're out etc. But you don't know the game. My knowledge of this game is so immense, that its like a Giant bending down to talk to an ant — its very difficult. anyway, have fun — for Ignorance is True Bliss

Yup, Em, kinda fun (once in a while). Not difficult, though. I love the part where he said I was claiming the 5th starter doesn't get less innings, when that's not what I said at all. What I said was, it's not fixed in stone that Detwiler IS the so-called "5th starter." If you are going to insult someone it helps to read what she actually says.

JayB was never that bad FP's 05:00 shadow he knew what he does know what he is talking about …Steve J, we'll see where Lannan lands. Stats don't like and he has collected a pretty decent sample size now. He is lucky if he makes it through 5. Lannan is good #5 starter at his best and a #6 or below in AAA at his worst. And no Ghost he isn't me.

No McPoop is a diehard O-R-I-H-O-L-E-S fan. He would never say a bad thing about Davey for starters. Davey played for and was fairly successful managing da boids. This guy might be a Phils fan or a Braves fan hard to tell. Mets fan? Always possible.

Walks are really hurting Clippard. Tied for 19th in walks. Not good for a 1 inning pitcher.Clip was a 2-3 inning guy when Riggleman got him. Clip's arm has been abused. The guy has pitched well over 100 innings a couple of times in high stress situations. His arm starting getting erratic last season. Last season Davey pulled back from using him as much and started using/alternating Mattheus and Stammen instead. Duke is supposed to be able to pick up some of this …

I am probably going to get flamed but there are a couple of interesting relievers in the minors who I think should be given a chance as middle relievers. Unfortunately, both are right-handed. One is Jeff Mandel and the other is Trevor Holder. They're not even on anyone's watch list. They've been trying to work Tatusko into that role but he has had significant control problems.They haven't advanced one of these types in a while. They advanced Stammen but he worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors. They seem to go for the back-end flame throwers like Henry and Storen who are good for only one inning.

As Steve Hayes he stated he was an O's fan, too.Then there's your answer. He says he is a Nats fan but he is really one of those belligerent O's fans … the kind that pushes and shoves fans from other teams … one woman on twitter had problems at Camden Yahds because she was a TB Rays fan (also a Nats fan) and was decked out accordingly. Apparently, she was shoved multiple times and had a pretty ugly time at the game.

I also like what we've seen of Erik Davis.He used to be a starter and was converted to relief last year. But he has been used as a one-and-done type. Mandel has been extremely successful as a starter last season and in relief this year.As for Ryan Perry the jury is still out. Its cold and rainy in places like Syracuse, Buffalo and New Jersey. Their opening day was rained out. Let the sample size get a bit larger … if Perry continues to have problems in AAA as a starter they will likely let him go after the season.

I think the not adding on runs was my main aggravation. Someone here said why were they departing from the gameplan, which was to run up Teheran's pitch count and get to their middle relievers. But they got in a hurry to get the game over (i.e., aggressive). You can't do that with a good team. A good team will not give up down by four and they have the resources to make up that deficit. I wanted AT LEAST six runs and get to Ayala earlies.

I really hope this game is exciting so we can change the subjects. Go Nats!!!!!! One thing about the Barves hot start- it might put us in that scrappy underdog role for a while and they can wear the target. We will make our move when they start playing the Reds, Dodgers , Giants.

I think the not adding on runs was my main aggravation. That's not going to happen with this offense Natslady. Their best hitter is still recovering from shoulder injury/surgery. He is having problems in the field and at the plate as a result. Eventually HE WILL move to first base so that Anthony Rendon can come up to play third. Once Zim completely recovers you'll have two impact hitters in Harper and Zim but until then? You've got to scratch out runs and hold them with pitching and defense. Just as in the old days of Riggleman.And that's why Tyler Moore has basically been converted into an outfielder. His is the only truly significant bat that they have that has a shot at replacing Morse's. He has the ability to change this lineup overnight.

Who in the name of Ching Mang Wong let that fool Steve from Alexandria out of his cage for the weekend? What a fool. But I guess when you are under house arrest you have nothing else to do but blog. BTW is it sunny in Dundalk today Steve?

NatsLady, you got it. Read my notes I wrote this morning at around 4:30AM. Espinosa in 4 ABs saw a total of 9 pitches. I imagine he would have seen less if he saw a few more strikes. Teheran was on the ropes in the 1st and Espinosa gets up with 2 on in the 1st and makes a quick and easy out.

How long can the Nationals stick with a thirdbaseman who can't throw the ball? Now costing games.They've got a guy playing in AA who is a future All-Star professional hitter and a gold glove. They're not worriedHow long can the Nats stick with a second baseman who cant hit?He probably could play any position on the field and is a superb athlete and a special talent. You just don't throw that away. And Danny has to know Lombo is right behind him and Jeff Kobernus looks poised to leap over both the way he is hitting. BUT, Kobernus and Lombo can't be a superb major league shortstop. Danny can.So, why worry? Rizzo has clearly stated that he wants to win but he doesn't believe winning has to be a one-and-done affair. He believes developing new talent can walk hand-in-hand with winning. And that looks to be the right way to go about things in the current snapshot of major league baseball.

MLB analyst said it best, with Span's speed, why not only go half way down the base path. I am flexible with rookies, but Span is a veteran and I have now seen 2 vets (RZim) in less than 24 hours make knucklehead plays.

Mick, there's no outs, you take what the game gives you. Brain dead play. smh and disgusted to let Hudson off the hook in the 1st inning. The Nats probably would've forced him to throw near 20 pitches.

I get so tired of all the media cramming the current pitch count down my throat constantly. Often our pitchers have a high first couple, then settle in. Det had like a 23 early, the later a six or nine. If it becomes an issue around the fifth, I don 't mind hearing it then. But it 's an obsession with them.

Looks like Mark got texted but well after the Orioles fan departed. Speaking of development it looks like the Nats may have another glimmer of a big left-handed starter up in Hagerstown .. Brett Mooneyham the guy drafted after Giolito is looking pretty money. And then eventually, hopefully there's Giolito.

baseballswami, your point is good but pitch count and Velo are the 2 objective ways for them to talk about the pitchers. They post both up in the box in the upper left-hand corner.Then Zim boneheads another throw. Stras would've been out of the inning now will be over 50 pitches in 3 innings.

Span has been solid except for his baserunning which has been suspect.Sorry, I still think they'd be better with guaranteed perennial All Star Bryce Harper and his rifle arm in center and Tyler Moore in left. That is what they need.

If there is an injury to RZim, can the Nats or Zim be on the level? If no injury, that play is simply unacceptable at the MLB level and frankly at most levels,He's still recovering from surgery and has been throughout the spring remember? Do you think rehab from shoulder surgery happens over night?Its okay it just makes it easier when management asks him to move over to first base.

mick said… PericI thought T Moore's natural position was 1b? April 13, 2013 1:55 PM __________________________________It is and Peric is ridiculous in his constant pushing for an outfield of a weak defensive LF which forces Werth back to leadoff.

Whoa!! at least I have Gaettis on my Fantasy team!Zimmerman's throw is getting tiresome — and is costing us dearly! Losing my patience and I've been through all the Nat's seasons.Stas' mechanics and control not spectacular today.

peric said… This not being able to depend on him has to stop.They need his bat he's their best hitter. Its why he is moving to first base soon. April 13, 2013 1:58 PM ___________________________________Peric, who are you saying is their best hitter?

Zim needs a long, long rest, away somewhere.Or … he moves to first base and hopefully avoids injury so he can be the impact hitter that he can be.Rendon is still in AA. He is Zim's replacement. You're just going to have to be patient.

Peric, who are you saying is their best hitter?Zim **IS** and he has the huge sample size and stats to prove it!BUT, he gets injured and it affects his entire game. He hasn't been healthy since Dunkey and Willingham were hitting behind him.Its why he is going to move to first base. And Anthony Rendon another impact hitter will play third base.

It is and Peric is ridiculous in his constant pushing for an outfield of a weak defensive LF which forces Werth back to leadoff.And when Werth came back from the broken wrist? And they put him at lead off with Harper right behind? What happened again?OH THAT'S RIGHT ***98 WINS MOST IN THE MLB*** The only ridiculous notion is your for not accepting that; and putting Moore in left is a viable solution for a strong offensive lineup.

Peric, wrong again. Zim was injured his shoulder in 2007 long before Willingham and Dunn arrived. Its been something wrong with him every year since then.His deflection of the problems away from himself is laughable. Sure, the relievers weren't stellar last night but if he makes the throw to 2nd or eats the ball the Nats win 4-3.Today's error costs the Nats 2 runs and Strasburg had to throw 8 more pitches.

Anyone want some good news? I arrived late after swearing at and fighting DC traffic (1.5 hrs ) only to learn that we missed the start of the game and the Gio Bobblehead. I was all ready to be grumpy when section 130 row KK seat 5 offered my young son his. Natitude. Perhaps we can emulate that type of class in this blog?

Yeah, I'm definitely getting more concerned about Zim. That was routine.They also seem to be too aggressive as hitters today; making the pitchers work worked like gangbusters in the White Sox series, but it's not happening against the Braves yet for some reason.

Peric, wrong again. Zim was injured his shoulder in 2007 long before Willingham and Dunn arrived. Its been something wrong with him every year since then.I go by his playing an entire season and hitting 30+ homers 30+ doubles two years in a row along with the All Star appearance. So, I guess he healed right?This series of injuries are new.

peric said… The only ridiculous notion is your for not accepting that; and putting Moore in left is a viable solution for a strong offensive lineup._____________________________Span is batting .351 with an OBP of about .500I don't know which game you are watching. Tyler Moore is good but it's clear Rizzo didn't see him as an option at 1st base so why would they put him in LF and weaken this team in outfield defense?He certainly doesn't make that play that Harper did throwing out Uggla at home.

Either way they've got Zim covered. The problem is LaRoche is in Zim's future position. And that was the best reason for keeping Morse at first base for his final year on the contract with Moore behind him.

Manassas Nats' Fan said… reread quote from Zim last night "We deffinately need to learn from our mistakes."Apparently lesson not learned. Allowed unearned runs again. April 13, 2013 2:09 PM ______________________________Again, he's great on deflecting on others or talking in generalities and it's on him.He's once again hurting this team and needs to be honest with Davey and Rizzo if something is seriously wrong.

Span is batting .351 with an OBP of about .500Nick Johnson had similar stats and he hit for power? Explain to me this when they continue to lose series to teams like the Reds and the Braves.Span weakens this lineup. They have someone who can produce that OBP in Werth like it NOT. Harper can get better in CF. What they don't have is a heart of the line up that scares a major league pitcher! That is what is missing!

peric said… Either way they've got Zim covered. The problem is LaRoche is in Zim's future position. And that was the best reason for keeping Morse at first base for his final year on the contract with Moore behind him. April 13, 2013 2:11 PM ____________________________Rizzo wasn't ready for the move yet and LaRoche was re-signed because I believe they thought he could make the scoops on Zim's constantly errant throws.

Rizzo wasn't ready for the move yet and LaRoche was re-signed because I believe they thought he could make the scoops on Zim's constantly errant throws.True enough. And if this continues? And Rendon and Kobernus are batting .400 in the minors? Then what? But, in Rizzo's mind this problem might solve itself through injuries. And LaRoche looks pretty prone to injury as much as anyone his age.

Peric, I think Rendon is ready today if the Nats needed a 3rd baseman. I'm sure Rizzo doesn't want to make a move until after April 28th on Rendon.I think Rizzo wants to see Rendon get at least a full year in AA/AAA first! Rizzo was in player development and he is a firm believer in this. And he is probably right. BUT if injuries do occur and the Nats have the need? And Dave crooks his finger? And then there's Kobernus who looks like HE COULD replace Span at the top of the lineup and do better. The guy is fast and capable of stealing 100 bases. And he is killing AAA pitching and getting on base. And we have Danny still struggling? But, its still early. We'll have a decent picture around June 1st just before the draft. Until then my advice is BE PATIENT and let the drama unfold.

And then there's too many right-handed bats and not enough left-handed bats.Not enough left-handed arms and too many right-handed arms. All they have is Goodwin and Skole on the left-side on the way. Lots of potential left-handed arms albeit some are still rehabbing injuries.

You have to understand the TV guys are not talking to Nats fans. They are reading from a script intended for people who don't know the team well (besides maybe Stras and Harper). So it's annoying to us. It's amazing they are even bringing OBP into the picture. Pitch count is a mantra now. Who knows what the next stat will be?

Manassas Nats' Fan said… The baseball Gods you have to love. Zim comes up with a chance to neutralize his rrror by jhitting a homer. No way just a weak fly to right.I am convinced the shoulder is still bad._______________________________Something sure is wrong. Hudson threw him a straight fastball inside on Pitch 1 that a healthy Zim would have pulled down the line for a long HR and this Zim just watched it go by for a strike.

Peric, the Tigers got Kobernus as a relative freebie in Rule 5 and they don't agree with you. In fact the Nats didn't even bother to protect him.He looks a lot different. Apparently his stay with the Tigers was beneficial. He found someone to teach him hitting. Before he and Eury Perez looked like the same player.NOW? He made the Iron Pigs stop pitching to him. He's hitting .545.

Right now the braves are the better team. But it's a long season. We will catch them when it matter most. I do think Zimm needs to sit though. And Stras is 3 rd best right now. Time to mix up line up a little

so are we talking Cortizone shots again for Zim? I hope notNo. Its early. A trip to the DL. But there's no Morse to anchor the lineup? Who do you put at third base? Tracey? You're joking right? Don't call me George Costanzo who is a left-handed hitter? Carlos Rivero? Now that is a weak lineup. That's when you'd HAVE TO REMOVE SPAN and put Moore in left.

Stras going back in for the 6th on 95 pitches? It seems like Davey is looking at innings more than pitch count, which seems a bit off to me. Don't have a great feeling about the top of the 6th. I guess with the bullpen fatigue there aren't a lot of better options, though.

It does seem that this is a weaker team than last year. Which is frustrating. I guess Span is a improvement. But we miss morse. He added excitement and flair. And the bullpen?… Tough to look at this as a playoff team right now. Braves clearly not intimidated. It's the other way around I think.

I really don't think the Barves are a better team. They are definitely playing better baseball than we are. Even last year, with injuries, the Nats always played smart defensively. Zim got the ball to ALR. There is something that just doesn't feel right at this time. Something is missing- intensity, joy, focus- can't put my finger on it. Almost like they are holding back in fear of injuries or something. It hasn't clicked yet. I hope they find a gear, a spark, or whatever they need. No brawls, please.

William O. Douglas Loeffler said… Anybody who thinks Ryan Zimmerman is anywhere close to the player or hitter that Bryce Harper is, basically knows ZERO about baseball. ___________________________Hey, don't talk about Peric that way. He knows a little about Minor League baseball.

Anybody who thinks Ryan Zimmerman is anywhere close to the player or hitter that Bryce Harper is, basically knows ZERO about baseball.This is when the word "moron" tends to escape my often deadly key strokes. Zim is a proven hitter over several seasons. How many seasons has Harper been in the majors again? And how many times has he hit 30 homers? Had over 100 RBI? Done what Zim has done consistently even in the middle of seasons after a long DL stay. Even with weak lineups around him.Only a moron would claim that Harper is the better hitter. He is good and improving and someday he might be an impact hitter like a Pujols or a Berkman. But he ain't there yet.

162 games is the number that MLB has decided to play this year. It is amazing how two good teams can play one day and have a 15-0 result and then play the next day and have a different outcome. You rarely see that in football or basketball. It is a shame that people come on here and pretend that baseball outcomes follow a similar pattern. Sparky Anderson probably should have been fired by the Reds back in 1975 given that that team lost four in a row several times that year on their way to winning 108 games and the World Series. A team like that should have won 120 games easy.

Riddle me this.Last night I gave Davey hell for not letting Det pitch the 8th inning.Defenders of Davey said Det's 90 pitches too much.today Stras had 95 and pitch the 6th and did fine.I would take him out now.Davey I still pissed at you from last night.

Zimmerman has never had an impact year as a hitter. Go check baseball ref.com It ain't that hard. He is probably the best player up to now in Nats' history and that ain't saying much. For a third baseman, he is a better than average hitter, who hit 30 homers once, and who formerly was a very good fielder. I am not sure whether that is true anymore or not in terms of fielding. There are plenty of guys who can hit 25 homers in a year. You might want to research the notice of replacement player and see who was better last year between Harper and Zimmerman.Find me one single baseball analyst anywhere that would rank Zimmerman equal to Harper in value and we will see who the moron is. There is no sober thinking person who would. Just internet bullies who like hearing themselves bloviate.

Zimmerman has never had an impact year as a hitter. Go check baseball ref.comFirst mistake and one only someone with little knowledge of baseball would make. I use fangraphs and statcorner which give more accurate, fine grained analyses. But then, I guess I am a pseudo math type like DCWonk. We have an appreciation for such things.Zim may not be at Berkman's or Pujol's level at his height but he is one rung below. And NO ONE ELSE on this team has even sniffed that level.

Mannasas, if Det didn't give up that HR he would have been out for another inning.When Det's fatigue sets in he start over-throwing.I think Davey made the correct choice last night.Davey is trying to stretch out Strasburg as he looked strong to end the 5th.

peric said… Zimmerman has never had an impact year as a hitter. Go check baseball ref.comFirst mistake and one only someone with little knowledge of baseball would make. I use fangraphs and statcorner which give more accurate, fine grained analyses. But then, I guess I am a pseudo math type like DCWonk. We have an appreciation for such things.Zim may not be at Berkman's or Pujol's level at his height but he is one rung below. And NO ONE ELSE on this team has even sniffed that level._____________________________________I agree with Peric but the 3 hole should make your stats better with more RBI ops and the ability to score a lot more runs and you will see that Bryce Harper in the 3 hole will exceed Zim's best year.

We all continue to wait for the inundation of stats to prove that Zimmerman is the Nats' most effective and devastating hitter…. Of course, there are no such stats from any period of time in the recent past that indicate any such thing, so I assume we will all continue to wait and wait and wait while bullies bloviate….Zimmerman has been a fine player whose throwing has been suspect for a long time and whose hitting is streaking. I am a big fan of his. But that is a far different thing from putting him in the league of Pujols or a healthy ARod and everyone on here save one knows that….

Manassas Nats' Fan said… that is the first time I remember Harper not hustling. Hope that is isolated. April 13, 2013 3:06 PM __________________________________He was upset with himself there but you are right and the energy level of this team is low right now, and they need Bryce to Bryce.

Bryce Harper 2012 18.7 BatV. He has A LONGNNNNG WAY TO GO before he matches a healthy Zim. A very loonnnng way.So far in 2013? His BatV is 6.7. You know I hate moronic fans who don't even understand what they have ON THEIR OWN TEAM!@!

Zimmerman is currently 37th among active NL players in slugging.and 38th in OBS. That is hardly devastating. His best performance in offensive WAR was 8th in 2010, which is nice, but probably not devastating, with Ryan finishing 9th overall in the NL that year in WAR. Zimmerman is a nice guy and a good role model and we all love having him on the team. I just hope he can find his arm and his bat again this year and I suspect he will, but no one should ever compare him, ever, to Bryce Harper, either now, or in terms of potential, and I have never heard a single analyst ever do so, but I am waiting to see the articles and the floods of stats that prove otherwise.

Zimmerman is currently 37th among active NL players in slugging.and 38th in OBS. That is hardly devastating. His best performance in offensive WAR was 8th in 2010,That's why a recent Fangraphs article placed Zim in the top 4 WAR and the guy the would pick for their FoF by overwhelming vote. It wasn't Pujols. And this was before Pujols previous season.Again YOU READ crap over at baseball reference. Garbage in Garbage out.

Also whay have done for me lately.162 games. Not many can be consistently good over that many games. Zim has and will again. He's still under 30. And if they move him to first base he could be a potent offensive force for a very long time.

What is Zimmerman's BatV this year? It appears to be negative. At some point, with guys like Morse and Zimmerman, you simply cannot keep blaming injuries when you get injured over and over and over. It is a shame, but it clearly, Zimmerman needs to get healthy. He is not helping his team right now and conjecturing about moving his position is useless, unless he moves to 2nd base because the Nats have no other slots for La Roche or Tyler Moore.

I wouldn't trade Harper even up for anybody. Maybe there was a reason was he was a number one draft pick, widely touted as the most talented player in years, but if fangraphs says he sucks, i guess he must.

If Heyward's ball had gone five feet fewer to the right, the Nats win last night. If we hadn't made a couple of bad fielding plays, we likely win both games. The amount of good and bad luck in a year often cancel out, but not after 12 games. It is a shame because both games were winnable, but it is not that huge a deal in the grand scheme of things. 88 games won will get you in the play-offs.I think we are all just surprised to see so many bad bullpen outings and bad fielding plays grouped so closely together, along with guys like La Roche and Zimmerman and Espinosa starting off so slowly.

Braves are just a better team. Zimmerman is hurting more than helping. That's two games he cost. I would say platoon him at first right now and bring up Rendon. See what we have in the farm. He has a career ops of around 830, and without his defense, he's just not worth it.

Except for one bonehead play running, Span has been great. Will he add more offensive than a healthy Morse? I doubt it. Will he add more offense than an oft-injured Morse? Possibly.Will he add more value on offense and defense than the oft-injured, slow and clumsy, Morse? Probably.

And anyone who says the Braves are just a better team….On what basis? How many games will they play this year? 19?What was the record between the two teams last year?What have the Braves improved? Many analysts claim that the Braves' outfield is in fact, worse, than last year. Chipper Jones is gone. They seem to have roughly an equivalent pitching staff to last year.If the Braves are "just better", in the way that the Nats were just better last year, that equates to a 4 game difference over 162 games (neglecting all the Nats' injuries), which is all but imperceptible on any given day.

Let me get this straight. Poor defense, poor bullpen, inconsistent offense, and good starting rotation. This is what a .500 team looks like. Rizzo looking real bad right now. Reconsider that contract, Mr. Lerner.

The good bull pen of 2011 and the first half of 2012 is now in shambles.I wouldn't go that far. The problem as I stated earlier and now Kilgore appears to validate is that they have too many one batter to one inning pitchers and not enough multiple inning bullpen types.Having four or five guys who are one and done wonders doesn't work especially when you can't really trust one or more in high leverage situations. They really only have two guys who can go more than 2 and that's Duke and Stammen.

Yes, the Braves are better — And they are shy McCann and Freeman — wait til they come back. I think the fans and the team itself bought its own press releases. Now, time to fix the several weakneses this team has — IF, management has the stones to face them.Hard decisions ahead

I just don't see it your way, Joe Seams.. I see the problems we have as deep rooted and not just anomalies. Zimmerman's arm, Bullpen, lack of power, faulty use of bull pen — and a couple other problems — they wont fix themselves.

Now, time to fix the several weakneses this team has — IF, management has the stones to face them.I hate the Tomahawk Chop … now at the end of games after Nats fans all have mostly bailed. Still not supporting the home team people!In any case? They have solutions: Tyler Moore. Tyler Moore. Tyler Moore.Tyler Moore is likely way better than Heyward but he doesn't bat left and there in lies the problem. Moore is likely the superior offensive player to LaRoche. But would Davey swap out a highly paid starting left-handed bat?As for Zim? Again he is absolutely their best hitter when healthy. The problems is getting him healthy. Its why he needs to go to first base NEXT SEASON at the latest in order to attempt to avoid yet another injury on a web gem at third. Hopefully, there will be less of an injury risk at first base and more focus on offense.The bullpen? Clippard probably should have been traded while his value was still high. Storen and Mattheus can capably handle that role. They then could have either added Erik Davis or that left-hander Davey covets. But they do need at least one more guy who can bridge the gap between starters and the back of the bullpen. They are missing that.

And the Nats were shy Werth and Harper and Zimmerman last spring and won 98 games.Repeat after me, 12 games in baseball mean essentially ZERO. Again: 12 games in baseball mean essentially ZERO.And if the Braves are slightly better than the Nats over 162 games, guess what, that improves their odds of beating us in the post-season, assuming we make it to the NLDS, by essentially ZERO. That is the way the stats work out.People still analyze baseball in 2013 as though it were 1968 and the media are worse than anyone at this. It is all just to hype things so that we all watch tomorrow.Remember when the Yankees swept us last year? It mean ZERO. Remember when we lost a 9 run lead to the Braves? It meant ZERO. Remember when we lost to the Phillies those few after the All Star break? ZERO.

Rizzo said Moore is the 1b of the future? ?? So why did Davey start Chad Tracy the two games Laroche was out? Made no sense to me then and after hearing what Rizzo said about Moore, makes less sense to me today. Is Rizzo full of crap? Is Davey doing what he's famous for — bucking management?

Repeat after me, 12 games in baseball mean essentially ZERO. Again: 12 games in baseball mean essentially ZERO.Normally you would be correct. But here we are with the team picked to win the world series and the Braves come to town and outhit, out field, out play, out pitch and out manage the Nats. Their record is now 10-1. They've handed the Nats their first 2 losses in a row at home to make them 7-4.Its early but that is what is called making a statement, throwing the gauntlet down. If you don't believe that then you've never played baseball.

Zimmerman is the best player in baseball except for Pujols, yes. We could trade him for just amazing value. We could get Verlander and Trout in a 3-way deal because Ryan is a devastating hitter. We must do anything possible to preserve Ryan Zimmerman because of his devastating hitting. Barry Bonds watch out. Steroids or no, 73 homers is in danger if we can just get Zimmerman healthy.Talk about the hidden game of baseball. If only there were some other team in baseball that we could convince of this, just think of the trade value. With a devastating hitter like that there is no reason he has to stay here. Players are resources just like stocks and bonds and real estate. Lets trade Ryan and get a whole slew of amazing guys. I love Ryan but if he has that kind of devastating value, it would not be prudent not to explore trading him.

Rizzo said Moore is the 1b of the future?He never said that because Ryan Zimmerman is the first baseman of the future. This is why Moore played both left and right fields almost exclusively in spring training. Moore is the left-fielder of the future. In two years Werth moves to 4th outfielder and Harper to right. Moore to left. And hopefully, Goodwin to center.

Have to agree with Peric here. 12 games in at this point is meaningful — why? The Braves are exposing virtually all of the Nat's weaknesses — for all to see. As Peric Said: time for Rizzo to react. and as I said, time to fix them IF management has the stones. Regrettably, I believe management sowed the seeds of their weaknesses over the winter: dumping MOrse for a couple minor league pitchers, allowing 3 lefties to walk, resigning a peakedout Laroche, having no room for Rendon, not solving or facing Zims problems, sticking with Espi in spite of a torn muscle, sticking with Henry with Young in the minors, and so on and so forth

Shut up William O. Douglas Loeffler your name sounds like that of a lawyer and like one you don't know what you are talking about …Written by Dave Cameron of Fangraph's a couple of years ago before Zim's spate of injuries.A few weeks ago, I was asked the popular barstool argument question: if you could start a franchise with just one player – with contracts and dollars being irrelevant – who would it be? I’d guess that a lot of us have had that conversation more than once. It’s a fun topic to talk about.There are a few names that naturally get mentioned early on. Joe Mauer, Evan Longoria, and Hanley Ramirez are popular choices because they’re established stars and still in the earlier stages of their careers. Albert Pujols and Chase Utley get nominated for their sheer greatness, even though they’re already past their primes. Miguel Cabrera draws a mention from people who want to build around a premier young hitter. And then you’ll have the guy who likes pitching and brings up Tim Lincecum, Josh Johnson, Jon Lester, or Felix Hernandez.There’s one guy that never gets brought up, though, who might just be the best answer of them all: Ryan Zimmerman. He shares the spotlight with Adam Dunn and Stephen Strasburg in Washington, but given how good he has become at such a young age, his star should shine the brightest.Last year, Zimmerman had his breakout season, putting up a +6.6 win season that ranked as the ninth best in baseball. This year, he’s followed it up with a +6.0 win season so far, ranking second. Since the beginning of the 2009 season, only Albert Pujols has posted a better WAR than Zimmerman. He has become a complete all-around player, adding patience and power to an already impressive skillset.Because he came up at an early age and was just a good hitter rather than a great one out of the gates, his reputation has seemingly not yet caught up with his abilities. However, let’s just throw this out there:Rest-of-season ZiPS projections:Zimmerman: .289/.366/.526, .388 wOBALongoria: .276/.360/.519, .385 wOBARamirez: .307/.384/.509, .393 wOBAThose are basically an estimate of true talent level, and it sees no discernible differences between the three as hitters. While the other two have significantly better career slash lines, Zimmerman’s performance over his last 1,100 plate appearances has been better than either of the other two.Defensively, he and Longoria couldn’t be more similar, as they are the two premier young defensive third baseman in the game. Which one you like more is basically a matter of preference – they’re both outstanding. Ramirez does not rate out nearly as well, but of course he’s playing a more difficult position and being compared to better defenders overall. I would still place him a bit behind both of the third baseman in defensive value, but the gap isn’t as large as simply comparing their UZRs would suggest.Longoria turns 25 in October, while Zimmerman turns 26 a couple of weeks prior to that. Ramirez turns 27 in December. Ramirez has a bit better offensive track record but is the oldest and worst defender of the trio. Longoria is the youngest, but his best season at the plate is not as good as the best season of either of the other two.It is splitting hairs to pick between them, but gun to my head, I think I’d take Washington’s third baseman. Right now, he’s the perfect blend, combining Ramirez’s offense with Longoria’s defense into one unbelievably good package.If his teammates were more talented, he’d be have a strong case for the NL MVP right now. Zimmerman has truly become of the game’s great young players, and the guy I’d point to if I could only take one player to begin a franchise.

I will go with the eye test and the GM test. Harper is the best player on the team regardless your stats say.Ask the other 29 player which woyld take if the Nats would let them have one free. I bet all 29 would take Harper. That is because GMs take eye est.

Peric:Hey did say it. I saw it live. It was last year after call up. I have no idea why he said it. Maybe to build confidence. But 100% he said it. Somewhere it's on tape. Ill bet u season tickets he said it. And this is my real name so I'm not hiding behind some "handle"